If you are ever in the LA area, you have to visit the Herrick Library. I was blown away at all of the reference materials, clippings, manuscripts, still prints/ publicity photos they have in the library. I wrote to the photograph and manuscript departments at the start of the summer and they pulled several boxes of materials for viewing for a scheduled visit that I had yesterday. The staff was wonderful and I definitely want to go back as one afternoon is not enough time to view all of the materials that were requested. It has taken me a year to locate a handful of standard casting directories and they had at least 30 from the 1920's that were accessible in the manuscript dept. Filmography heaven!

The white gloves that you are required to wear when handling photos can slow you down a bit, but once you get a little momentum with a bit of dexterity you can make it through several still prints for several titles. I was able to view about 30 still prints of Mark Hamilton which I never would have been able to find in the public domain.

Good security and precautions to protect copyrights and their property.

Leave your pens, cell phones, and any other items behind as it is pencils only and laptops if your lucky.

New and vigorous impulses seem to me to be at work in it,[the cinema] and doubtless before long it will drop all slavish copying of the stage and strike out along fresh paths. -- Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree

I was able to have them photocopy 20 scenes (only 20 photocopies a day are allowed because of staff availability restrictions) with Hamilton in lost films Light of Western Stars, Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, Code of the West, and Idle Tongues. Unfortunately, I was only there for a few hours and needed a few days to do accomplish everything.

Each title in expandable file folders have to be checked out one at a time and you can sit and view the stills in their Katherine Hepburn Reading Room (area) so have patience as you turn one in and check out another title folder. There is paperwork to sign for each title folder. Core Collection stills may be photocopied, but there are copyright restrictions on some of the collections so don't expect that you can have all materials copied. The amazing materials were the original studio publicity photos of each cast member and the off camera photos showing actors interacting that would not have been in the films anyway even if there were not lost.

The game plan now is to utilize their National Film Information Service to access more information from a distance as I don't expect to be back in LA LA Land again any time soon.

Mark Hamilton (I) is on imdb.comJoseph Hamilton (I) is on imdb.comGertrude Brooke Hamilton is on imdb.com

New and vigorous impulses seem to me to be at work in it,[the cinema] and doubtless before long it will drop all slavish copying of the stage and strike out along fresh paths. -- Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree

Glad you found lots of information and images on your grandfather, I've heard that the Margaret Herrick Library is indeed one of the best when it comes to Hollywood movie and star information. I know the author of "The Tom Tyler Story", Mike Chapman, credited this library as a major source of research. Would love to travel there some day.

I am going to try their National Film Information Service (NFIS) to finish the title by title research that I was trying to do on Monday. Even if they charge me for their coffee breaks their efforts to find more info will be well worth it.

Dana

Mark Hamilton (I) is on imdb.comJoseph Hamilton (I) is on imdb.comGertrude Brooke Hamilton is on imdb.com

NFIS is very fair on research costs and the gist of the process is RESPECT copyrights depending on which collection stills are being copied from. Should be getting more materials photocopied in next week or so. The more you find out what materials they have in their online catalog, the more you want to go back in person for another visit.

Mark Hamilton (I) is on imdb.comJoseph Hamilton (I) is on imdb.comGertrude Brooke Hamilton is on imdb.com

Received my NFIS packet today. 85 copies of stills from 7 lost films from Hamilton's filmography. All of the photos were photocopied on their copy machine ....nothing fancy and slightly darker than the copies that were produced for me when I was at Herrick on 8/28th. They charge $40 for print reproductions which is more than likely where the quality of images in archives will be ten times better than a photocopy.

I would definitely recommend this service if doing research from outside of CA that requires archived photos. I did not have much time in the Manuscript inventory department when I was there, but they had 30 standard casting directories from 1923 to 1930 and I was able to view 25 in less than an hour. I was surprised how many directories within the same year were just duplicates (same photos and filmography as the previous month or two) of the previous few issues within the same volumes.

Their staff is super helpful.

Mark Hamilton (I) is on imdb.comJoseph Hamilton (I) is on imdb.comGertrude Brooke Hamilton is on imdb.com

Thanks Mary for the reply. Many of the photo copies were from special collections instead of core collections, so just reviewing all the paperwork they sent me and carefully reading it. I have another 75 photos coming from Herrick from 3 other lost titles that Hamilton was in. Just searching for picture characterizations from his 10 year career in Hollywood.Herrick has been a great resource.

Regards,Dana

Mark Hamilton (I) is on imdb.comJoseph Hamilton (I) is on imdb.comGertrude Brooke Hamilton is on imdb.com